Romania Week 19 - If I was a Romanian Footballer...

Hey everybody! I can not even begin to try and offer such bizarre events as last week’s pig's ear offering, or random man found in ditch, but I can offer you some more realistic everyday issues faced by the Romanian people at this time of year.... so here goes....

I'm writing this email from an internet cafe in Turges Mures...(nearest big town from where I live, but you should know this by now!), after I have just been Xmas shopping in a new shopping mall, and then treated myself to a McDonalds chicken sandwich meal. I'm not really living like a Romanian today... but hey! so to the 'subject' statement.. 'If I was a Romanian footballer'. Well in Mcdonalds they have a TV screen and it was showing a league 1 game.... but the conditions were so bad, as the pitch looked like a local tractor had mowed it 10 minutes before the game, and I could not tell which teams were playing in which colours (due to mud/snow covering the players) until the clean substitutes came on. I was also highly amused to see the players running across mounds of snow to retrieve the ball for a throw in... So if I were a Romanian footballer... I'd change jobs pronto!
To more homely matters.... Friday night saw the second snow fall of the year, and the first real heavy fall with at least six inches of snow covering everything!!! This inspired me to go to the market and buy a Xmas tree which I did, and carried it all the way home... in the snow.... I felt very proud of myself that I had fulfilled me role as man of the house and provided for the girls... (don't ever let them know I said this, they'd both take offence...) my only problem was that I didn’t buy a pot to put the tree in, so it has remained outside the house, but looked brilliant this morning covered in fresh snow... I also think there is a Xmas tree economy trade here, as at least three completely random people stopped me on my way home to ask me if how much the tree costs.... I mean I think some people wait to the last minute to reduce the cost of the tree... it just seemed odd to me why these strangers would stop me only to ask how much I paid for the tree... very random... like many other things here! I have now adapted pretty well to the cold, and for those of you that have experienced me suffer in cold climates (namely: Marina, Kev Stacey etc) I owe you all a big thank you taught me how to stay warm when outside!!!
At the hospital it’s been a tough week, mainly because I have been there without fellow volunteers, as Helen has remained very poorly (don't worry she's better now) and Karen has been away with her boyfriend driving around random places.... so I've been very fortunate to have the help of my fellow Dutch volunteers and our interpreter has been great too, to ensure we have not had to close the club... we have made our painted wall look like a Xmas scene by turning the scene form a grassy field ,to a snow covered grassy field, so patients have been able to paint Xmas trees, snowflakes and snow men.... it’s been a great week for creative work...

...and as many of you have asked about the patient nativity update here it is... the first proper rehearsals went well with patients singing the carols and walking through their roles and words... the women were especially good, the men however, have a tendency to forget the script, and begin improvising what they think should be said... whether it is related to the Xmas story or not.. So there's more work to be done there... also the women performers have begun to make demands of what the conditions of staging and costumes must be like, or else refusing to perform. We have not quite hit the level of demands of say Madonna or Britney Spears, and no one has yet asked for their own trailer, filled with champagne, but this is a twist I did not see coming... actors eh!!! (No offence Colin, Jen, Gemma, Hannah... etc...) you'd think we were on ‘Broadway’ or in the west end!

Socially it’s been a good few days, me and Helen joined Lia and Giani for some drinks Friday night, and yesterday whilst popping round to the neighbours I was invited to join them for dinner, oh it was so nice to have a full proper meal with others... we had French potatoes with liver and cabbage.... nice.... I assure you!!! The last night I was out for a beer with Becky's brother, who's wedding I went to, and his wife Judith, and another brother and sister, a nice way to end the day So a pleasant, if not busy week has passed and for those of you who are interested I got my date to come back home.. February 19th... but I'm trying not think about coming home just yet, as I have 8-9 weeks left here, and let’s hope they are as fun and eventful as the past 19 have been...
Regards from Romania
Dan